Horseback riding is a popular sport in the United States and in Europe with a substantial market for equipment, facilities, trail fees and fees paid by people who do not own horses to engage in the sport.
Many Americans who participate in horseback riding own their own equipment, but not necessarily their own horse. Additionally, recreational horseback riders have leisure time limited by their working hours, and this time is often on weekends and evenings.
A 2007 study conducted by Horseman of America magazine revealed the following statistics:                There are currently 123,799 miles of public trail for recreational and pack horse back riding available on federal and state land in the lower 48 states. Of this land, 85% of the trail mileage is on federal land and 69% of that is managed by the USDA Forest Service.        There are approximately 9.1 million horses owned in the United States alone, and of those approximately 3.9 million are privately owned for recreation.        
Additional studies indicate that there are over five to seven million horse stables in the United States, and these stables require a considerable amount of money to maintain (board) the horses and staff. Other expenses associated with horse maintenance include veterinary bills, food, and routine care such as hoof trimming.
To defray the costs of maintaining the horses, many stables offer the horses for recreational use for a fee.
Horseback riding is a sport that involves inherent risk, and most professional stables must maintain insurance and take steps to minimize risk.
Riding horses at night can increase the risk of injury to the animal and the rider because impaired vision means that obstacles that may frighten, injure or impair the movement of the horse (particularly on an unfamiliar or public trail) may result in the horse acting precipitously.
Additionally, horses and riders may not be visible to oncoming traffic, and it may be difficult to locate fellow riders who become lost or stray from the trail at night.
Lighting devices designed for horseback riding are known in the art. One such device, disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/902,238, consists of a plurality of illumination means fitted to a bridle. The lights are wired to a power source equipped with a switch to connect and disconnect the power source from the lights. The lights are mounted on the front sheath and/or the breast collar portions of the bridle. Due to the placement of the lights, the lights will not illuminate the upcoming path. It is desirable to have a light or plurality of lights which illuminate the path ahead of the horse and rider.
A lighting device which illuminates the path in front of the horse is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/251,413 (Kelly '413). Kelly '413 discloses a horse headlight contained in a specially designed pouch that secures the lighting apparatus. The headlight secures to the breast collar portion of the tack using the straps of the pouch. When secured, the headlight illuminates the path in front of the horse. It is desirable to have a light device that also illuminates the direction in which the horse's head is turned, not just the direction in front of the horse's body.
In addition, due to the size and placement of the headlight on the breast collar, the device may rub against the horse's legs or interfere with the horse's gait when secured. The placement of the headlight on the breast collar is further complicated by the varying styles and fittings of breast collars.
It is desirable to have a lighting device which does not interfere with the horse's movement and which fits equally well on all types and styles of equipment.
It is further desirable to have an apparatus which increases the number of hours in a day for participation in horseback riding, regardless of daylight conditions, and which may thus increase revenue for stable owners through collection of additional trail fees.
It is further desirable to have a device which increases visibility and safety for horses and riders by illuminating trails and paths in a manner that allows a rider and horse sufficient time to react to obstacles and hazards which may be illuminated.
It is further desirable to ensure that riders and horses are visible to traffic, and can easily be found on dark or isolated trails should they become lost or injured, or should a horse run away at night.
It is further desirable to have a device that illuminates in all directions and can be seen from a far distance.
It is further desirable to have a lighting device that is lightweight, compact, comfortable for the horse, and easy to mount and remove.
It is further desirable to have a battery pack that can be mounted to the saddlebag for the comfort of the horse and rider.
It is further desirable to have a lighting device that is inexpensive to manufacture.
It is further desirable to have a choice of materials, such as lightweight straps, LED lights and the materials for the mounted pack.